They met in the middle, biting the pill at the same time, then pulling it back with a faint snap.
She chewed and swallowed, glaring at the ceiling as if trying to banish the awkwardness with sheer will.
Ruihuang's face was turned carefully to the side, but his ears, oh, his ears were bright red now.
"Don't get turned on.." Qingran warned flatly.
"I'm won't!" he snapped, too fast.
"You smell like hormones."
"You're imagining things!"
Lingquan practically howled with laughter now. "You two should kiss just to get it over with. We'd all feel better."
"Lingquan, I will throw you out the window."
"I can land on my feet, sweetheart. But go on. Try!."
Qingran bit the edge of the next pill. "Let's just finish this."
Ruihuang sighed, biting the next pill's edge with a grimace. "Let's just not talk."
They repeated the awkward little ritual eight more times.
By the seventh, Qingran had stopped flinching, and Ruihuang had stopped pretending he wasn't staring at her lips.
